System and Method for Authenticating a Person's Identity Using a Trusted Entity

1. A method for authenticating a person's identity to a transactional entity using a trusted entity with a secure repository of a person's personal identity information, comprising: receiving personal identity information at a trusted entity computer system, the personal identity information being confidentially stored by the trusted entity computer system; in the secure repository, storing a user identifier and a password that are associated with, but do not contain, the personal identity information; at the trusted entity computer system, receiving a request from the person for a unique code, the request including the user identifier and the password, the person's identity having been previously authenticated by the trusted entity computer system; providing the unique code to the person, the unique code comprising a person identifier and a key, wherein the unique code is thereafter transmitted to a transactional entity to identify the person without providing the personal identity information to the transactional entity; and the trusted entity computer system confirming the unique code to the transactional entity to verify the person's identity.

2. A method for authenticating a person's identity to a transactional entity using a trusted entity with a secure repository of a person's personal identity information, comprising: receiving personal identity information at a trusted entity computer system, the personal identity information being confidentially stored by the trusted entity computer system; in the secure repository, storing a user identifier and a password that are associated with, but do not contain, the personal identity information; at the trusted entity computer system, receiving a request from the person for a single-use key, the request including the user identifier and the password, wherein the single-use key is associated with a person identifier to form a unique code, the person's identity having been previously authenticated by the trusted entity computer system; providing the unique code to the person, wherein the unique code is thereafter transmitted to a transactional entity to identify the person without providing the personal identity information to the transactional entity; and the trusted entity computer system confirming the unique code to the transactional entity to verify the person's identity; and displaying a photograph of the person stored with the person's personal identity information in the trusted entity's secure repository to the transactional entity after the person's identity has been verified using the unique code.

3. The method as in claim 2 , wherein the single-use key expires after a predetermined time period.

4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the user identifier is a unique user name created by the trusted entity computer system.

5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the person identifier is a unique identifying name created by the trusted entity computer system and does not contain any personal identity information.

6. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising the steps of recording and storing information on accesses to the person's account on the trusted entity computer system, which can be displayed to the person.

7. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising of recording and storing the information on granting or denying the single-use key on the trusted entity computer system, which can be displayed to the person.

8. The method as in claim 1 , wherein providing the unique code to the person requires receiving correct responses to predetermined inquiries on the person's personal identity information stored in the secure repository.

9. The method as in claim 2 , wherein providing the unique code to the person requires receiving correct responses to predetermined inquiries on the person's personal identity information stored in the secure repository.

10. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising: authenticating the person's identity initially by the trusted entity computer system using trusted data and other trusted entities.

11. The method as in claim 2 , wherein the person's personal identity information is selected from the group consisting of: a person's name, social security number, birthday, address, employment information, financial information, biographical information, biometric data, personal information only known by the person, secrets only known by the person, and a combination thereof.

12. The method as in claim 11 , wherein the biometric data is selected from the group consisting of: handwriting, signature, fingerprints, voiceprints, retinal scans, iris scans, DNA or blood sample, facial recognition, hand geometry, vascular patterns, dental records, and a combination thereof.

13. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the transactional entity computer system verifies the person's unique code using a transactional user interface.

14. The method as in claim 2 , wherein the transactional entity is selected from the group consisting of: a bank, a financial institution, a business, an insurance company, a health care facility, a government entity, and another entity desiring the person's identity to be authentic.

15. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the transactional entity computer system verifies the person's unique code by using an account of the transactional entity at the trusted entity computer system.

16. The method as in claim 2 , wherein receiving personal identity information, receiving the request, providing the unique code to the person, and confirming the unique code use a computer network, automated telephone network, telephone network with a human operator accessing the person's account on trusted entity's server for the person and granting the unique code, physical delivery mechanism, or combination thereof.

17. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising specifying the transactional entity for which the unique code will be generated, wherein the unique code authenticates the person's identity only when the transactional entity specified by the person verifies the unique code.

18. The method as in claim 2 , wherein a portion or all of the person's personal identity information is not accessible or viewable to the person after the information is stored in the secure repository, whereby that portion of the person's personal identity information cannot be viewed or accessed by an identity thief if the identity thief obtains the person's user identifier and password.

19. The method as in claim 2 , further comprising printing the unique code on a certificate after granting the unique code.

20. A method for generating a single-use key used for authenticating a person's identity using a trusted entity with a secure repository of a person's personal identity information comprising: receiving personal identity information at a trusted entity computer system, the personal identity information being confidentially stored by the trusted entity computer system; storing a user identifier and a password that are associated with, but do not contain, the personal identity information; receiving the person's responses to inquiries, the inquiries having been selected by a verifying entity to authenticate the person's identity; accessing an account of the person on the trusted entity computer system using the user identifier and the password: comparing the person's responses to the inquiries with the person's stored personal identity information; and generating a single-use key associated with a person identifier to form a unique code to allow a transaction to be executed, if the person's responses match the person's stored personal identity information stored, the person's identity having been previously authenticated by the trusted entity computer system.

21. The method as in claim 20 , further comprising specifying the transactional entity for which the unique code will be generated after accessing the account of the person.

22. The method as in claim 20 , wherein the inquiries are randomly generated.

23. The method as in claim 20 , wherein the verifying entity comprises the transactional entity or the trusted entity.

24. A system for authenticating a person's identity to a transactional entity using a trusted entity, comprising: a trusted entity which receives personal identity information from a person, the personal identity information being confidentially stored by the trusted entity; a user identifier associated with but not containing any of the personal identity information; a password associated with but not containing any of the personal identity information; a client module with a person input device for a person to enter the user identifier and the password, a person processing unit connected to the person input device to prompt the person for the user identifier and the password, and a person display unit connected to the person processing unit to display a the key associated with a person identifier to form a unique code to the person, the person's identity having been previously authenticated by the trusted entity; a transactional processing module with an transactional input device for the transactional entity to enter the key, a transactional processing unit connected to the transactional input device to prompt the transactional entity for the key, and a transactional display unit connected to the transactional processing unit to display a message to the transactional entity authenticating the person's identity and to display a photograph of the person, whereby the photograph is a secondary verification to the unique code; and a trusted entity server with a trusted entity processing unit to process requests from the client module and the transactional processing module using a network, and a database accessible to the trusted entity processing unit to store the user identifier, the password, the unique code, and the person's personal identity information, including the photograph.